The invention relates to newspaper delivery receptacles also commonly referred to as motor route tubes for receipt of newspapers and like materials which are inserted within the elongate receptacle upon delivery.
Elongate tubular newspaper delivery receptacles which receive delivered newspapers and the like and which protect them against the elements are known. The receptacles are generally tubular in shape and have an opening at one end of the tube for insertion of a delivered newspaper to a subscriber, often located on a rural route. Many elongate newspaper delivery tubes have a generally rectangular or cylindrical shape and are mounted horizontally upon a vertical mounting post with the aid of a bracket securing the tube to the post.
However, such newspaper delivery tubes have been found to have certain disadvantages. In has been found that at times the inserted newspapers become inadvertently dislodged from the elongate receptacles. High winds, especially in rural areas, can blow a newspaper or other printed material from its delivery tube. Such inserted items may also be inadvertently expelled from the delivery tube upon the creation of a partial vacuum within the tube caused by a passing vehicle moving at a high speed. Attempts have been made to retain newspapers within delivery tubes such as through the employment of retaining flaps permanently molded within the tube. These attempts have been found to be inflexible and are not easily modifiable for the needs of the particular user. For example, at times, a newspaper opens up or expands upon being inserted into the tube receptacle. Unfortunately, known fixed retainers have been found to be inadequate because of their inability to be modifiable.
Additionally, many conventional delivery tube receptacles do not adequately drain water which may enter the interior region of the receptacle. Water, from rain or melted snow, unfortunately often sits at the bottom of the delivery receptacle which tends to damage a contained newspaper, often rendering its unreadable. Furthermore, conventional delivery tube receptacles often have a bracket which secures the receptacle to a support post. Securement is often performed by various hooks, inserts or tabs which tend to be complicated and which require long installation times. Moreover, securement of these known receptacles often can only be performed in one or two directions, thereby limiting its usefulness. Furthermore, certain conventional receptacle assemblies fail to provide adequate support for added resistance to prevent the receptacle from being knocked off (by vandals, snow plows, etc.) from its associated bracket.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a newspaper delivery receptacle assembly which overcomes the disadvantages of known conventional newspaper delivery receptacles. In one aspect of the present invention, a newspaper delivery tube receptacle having a bottom wall, top wall and sides is provided with a cambered bottom wall portion extending along the length of the bottom wall with a convex surface which projects from the bottom wall into an interior region of the receptacle.
The newspaper delivery receptacle further is securable to a mounting post and has a plurality of spaced apart snaps which extend from an exterior surface of the receptacle. A mounting bracket having a plurality of openings which engage the snaps is employed to fixedly secure the receptacle to the bracket. Additionally, the newspaper delivery receptacle includes a retainment member which is securable about the lip of the receptacle for preventing items inserted into the tube from being discharged through the open front end of the receptacle. An engagement member is positioned at one of the pair of sides for releasably securing the retainment member to the newspaper delivery receptacle.